How To Pass The Time
by Jedi.Knight.of.Geekdom
Summary: Boredom, summer, and a damn good movie make for a LOT of one-shots. Also, falling in phony love with the main character helps. So, here you are, one-shots. There will be plenty more in the future...trust me. Overpoweringly AxH...you have been warned. :D
1. Angels and Nightmares

_**Hello again! Welcome to my one-shots. All are HTTYD-themed and will entertain you for however long your attention span lasts with them. :D**_

_**So browse, enjoy, and review perhaps?**_

_**This one is pretty...deep, to say the least. I was rather bored, as you can tell, but read and see if you like it.**_

_**These are rated T for now for some mild violence, acid-trip-like plots and not-so-mild cursing. Maybe later it will change for the worst, because we all know that a bored teenage mind can get pretty...erm...creative.  
**_

_He was dreaming. That was the only explanation._

_ He could feel fire. He was engulfed in it's lethal heat, but...but it wasn't harming him. It was also dark. Someone, a female voice, was shouting, and it sounded very much like they were shouting his name. His senses were too muddled..._

_ "Hiccup?"_

_ The voice was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't focus. There was a blindingly large amount of pain from his left leg, though it was mostly centered around his knee._

_ "Hiccup?"_

_ He didn't answer. He was rendered totally immobile; nothing would move. All he could do was listen and feel._

_ He must have passed in and out of semi-consciousness, for when he heard the voice again it was softly crying in his ear. His pain was slowly receding, to be replaced by utter sorrow. The female sounded distressed beyond belief and he wished he could cry with her...but he was still immobile._

_ Hiccup wanted nothing more than to comfort the owner of the lovely voice. She sounded familiar and very beautiful, though how he could tell by the voice he didn't quite know himself. She gave another shuddering sob. _Why is she crying?_ He wondered._

_ Then, almost too soft to feel, something brushed his lips. It felt as though she were kissing him...but one could only dream. Another sob came from her and made him want to break down and cry more than ever. He heard two damning words spill from her lips:_

_ "He's dead."_

_ No! No no no _no! _He struggled to stay conscious. He wanted to see the lovely girl, to show her that it wasn't true, but he was slowly slipping into darkness._

Then he woke up. Next to the girl from his dream. Three years later and three years of marriage, and she was still the same mysterious young girl.

* * *

Astrid was falling. Twice.

She was tumbling toward the rocky coast after Hiccup had saved her from the fiery fate of the monstrous Mother Dragon. _The rocks must be 300 feet away...I'm dead._

_Hiccup, please make it._

Astrid forgot she was falling toward the coast. All she thought about, as she sped to her death, was that she had truly _fallen_ for Hiccup Haddock. As she physically fell, she thought about his kind face, his unusual amount of intelligence and wit, and the way he could make her smile even through her hidden pain. She thought about the amazing flight that they had taken the day before, when they sped through sunlit clouds of gold, watched the amazing lights of the night sky dancing above them...and held each other close for their first and probably only embrace.

She had repressed all loving thoughts towards Hiccup after that. She didn't want to become weak, or tender...she was a Viking, after all. But now, as her death was moments away, she let them flow freely.

His shaggy hair, which glowed under the setting sun...his calloused hand placed securely over one of hers, comforting her after the dizzying and frightening part of the flight...his vivid emerald eyes, adding the exotic touch she so admired to his defiant look. Astrid couldn't lie to herself; she truly, fully and completely -

"Ooph!" She had been expecting a horrid combination of broken bones and lethal cuts, _not_ the view of the underside of a Night Fury.

"Didja get her?" The familiar voice from astride the dragon asked nonchalantly. Astrid loved how everything they did was no secret to the other, and soon enough Toothless' friendly face appeared. Astrid gave him a beaming smile as they sped through the foggy air, her leg being gripped firmly by her two-time savior.

She was tossed safely onto a huge boulder with a pristine view of the battle. As they sped away from her, she prayed to any and all gods that he would survive.

She left her heart and soul with him; she had _never_ loved someone so much that she would pledge herself. With a final word she finished her thought, knowing that she fully loved this boy, and in a pent up breath she gave herself over to love:

_"Go!"_

_

* * *

_

_ She was dying inside._

_ Because Hiccup was dead._

_ Oh, by the gods...he's dead. He's..._He was dead in her arms, that's what he was.

And there she sat. Hiccup lay limp in her arms, cuts scattered across his face and torn through his shirt...she also noticed that his left leg was broken severely.

_ "Oh, gods, no..."_ Her tears left little dark spots on his chest. One strand of his reddish-brown hair was in front of his eye, and she softly brushed it away. It was strange...she was paying attention to little details. Little details that she tried to use to distract her from the shards of her life that were being trampled underfoot by tricky Fate herself.

This was wrong. So, so wrong. The world wasn't right, like it was out of balance. In fact, that's exactly how she felt when vertigo shifted the world around her and she swayed. She wasn't going to stop it. She let her head fall to his still chest.

Astrid was reminded of the flight. Her hands, around that very same chest, had felt like it was their place. Especially when his hand caressed hers in the gentlest way. It was warm and supportive...unlike now, when she grasped his still hand.

She was sobbing now...it was wrong, it just _was._ Hiccup isn't supposed to be dead...it's Hiccup...

Again, the old cliché...he was too young to die. It wasn't fair...she listened to his heart.

_Dead._

She felt for his pulse at his wrist.

_ Dead._

She felt just beneath his chin for any sign of a pulse.

_Dead._

She felt her own pulse, pressed a hand against her own heart, everything.

_Dead._

Then she woke up, next to a warm and very alive Hiccup. Three years wasn't long enough to forget that moment, but three years of marriage was enough to make up for it.

_**Y**__eah, yeah, yeah, troll me for it in the reviews._


	2. Shields Are For More Than Noise

_**Uh, well...yeah, just read it.**_

_"Is this some kind of joke to you?"_

Hiccup looked up from the dust of the stone floor. Astrid stood fuming above him, like a vengeful Valkyrie. Her blonde hair had a halo about it from the afternoon sun.

"Wha - ?"

"Our parents' war is about to become ours," She seethed, her azure eyes alight. "Figure out which side _you're_ on."

With that, she turned away and walked out of the demolished ring.

Hiccup couldn't believe it. He had always been ignored, looked down upon, jeered...but that hurt. It cut him to his core, though he knew not why. Astrid had always despised him, and this shouldn't be anything new to him...but it still hurt.

He picked himself up and brushed the debris off his shirt. Slowly, he limped out of the ring. He wanted to yell, to scream, to rage, but nothing was left inside.

_What's happened to me?_ He asked himself as he left the outskirts of the village, heading for the forest. _Why is this such a problem now? I used to let that bounce right off of me, but now I can't take it! She's the same old Astrid...maybe I'm not the same anymore. Maybe it _is_ about Astrid...maybe I'm just – _

_ What is wrong with me?

* * *

_

Hiccup took off into the woods, eager to be alone to fix his bleeding heart. But, once hidden within the confines of his favorite little clearing and freshwater lake, he saw he was not alone. A small figure was sitting in the shadow of a large boulder with their head between their knees. Hiccup was about a hundred feet away, but it was still hard to make out who it could be.

Then he saw another figure step into his line of view. He recognized her as Ruffnut, the only other female dragon training student aside from...but he wasn't going to dwell on the thought of _her_.

"Aww, come on, Astrid! You can't beat yourself up over this!" She said, patting the back of the hunched figure that must have been Astrid herself. The _last_ thing he wanted was another encounter with the fiercest Viking he'd ever met.

"I didn't mean to say those things!" Her voice was muffled, but he could hear her voice was clouded by her tears.

_What?_

"So? He deserved it! I don't understand why you're angry with yourself."

_They're talking about me? They can't be..._

She had raised her head to face the trees. He stopped breathing when he noticed that she was staring dangerously close to the trees he hid behind. She looked strangely at them, but finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," She said steadily, to his surprise. "It's just... I can't even be nice to the damn kid! I saw the look on his face...I felt so bad about what I said. Okay, okay, he _is_ a bit of a klutz, but that whole falling thing was my fault anyway. He's smarter than we give him credit for!"

_Oh no...what have I done? Wait, what _did_ I do?_

He saw Ruffnut's shoulders sag with impatience. "You could have _any_ guy in this village, Astrid! We have some of the fiercest and noblest Vikings _ever!_ And they're falling at your feet! But you're crying over...over _Hiccup?_ I mean, come on!"

_She's crying over Hiccup – I mean, me? No one cries over me unless I've done something completely horrible..._

Astrid pushed her away, standing up quickly. "Maybe you're right. _Maybe._ But I know what I want, and _I get it._"

She stormed off out of the clearing. As far as he could tell, Ruffnut went after her, and a few moments later Hiccup emerged from the trees.

"Hiccup?"

"Ah, what? – Ruffnut?"

"Yeah, who does it look like?"

He backed towards the boulder as she began to circle him. "So, you've captured the affections of your Astrid," She hissed.

"What?" He feigned surprise. "Have I?"

"Oh, don't act like you didn't hear."

"Didn't hear what?"

She sighed impatiently and chose a different topic. "Well, since she obviously can't handle you, _I will._"

He flinched and waited for her to do harm...but he felt rough lips against his.

"MMMMMmmmmmph! Rffnt! Stp!" He attempted to push her off, but his attempts only encouraged her. She mistook them for positive actions rather than negative and tried to force her _tongue_ through his pursed lips. As she tried that she let down her guard and he threw her off.

"Ruffnut!" He gasped, wiping his lips. "What the _hell_ was that?"

_"I would ask the same thing!"_

They both spun around to face the woods. Astrid stood between the trees, her face flushed in anger.

"I can't _believe_ you! After all you did!" She screeched.

Ruffnut looked both shocked and guilty. "Astrid, you were - "

"I didn't _ask_ for your opinion!" She snapped.

"Well, _you_ wouldn't make your move - "

"That doesn't mean you get to make it for me - "

"I act of my own free will - "

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to get _him_ invol – hey, where's Hiccup?" Astrid looked around at the surrounding woods, but by now he was speeding back towards the village.

_ The next time he entered the seclusion of the clearing to look for his newfound dragon, it was two hours after the impromptu meeting. He also made sure to bring a shield with him, in case his encounter with the dragon – or any women along the way – proved to be as fatal as experience had taught him._

_**You don't even need to tell me how ridiculous that was.**  
_


	3. More In Common

_**This one changed moods REALLY FAST. So, try to schedule an appointment with your doctor now for the whiplash you'll receive.**_

_She is gorgeous. She is intelligent. She is fast. She is everything._

_ But the outlook reads that she will never be mine._

_ Oh, Astrid...is it wrong for me to want you?_

Astrid was the most beautiful thing in the world. He never wanted her more. But it was obvious that she had never _hated_ him more. Ever since he had found a special way around the dragons, she had hated him. _Loathed _him. He just wanted to prove himself to her...and instead had made a horrid enemy.

That was the thing about Astrid: she could be calm, collected...but when she got angry, it was as though the gates of Hell had opened. But, he noted, he wouldn't exactly mind if Hell contained a flamingly furious Astrid. She was a vengeful girl, though he didn't care. She was still the most beautiful thing -

"Ughh!" He cried as someone punched his left shoulder. _Hard_. He turned to investigate, but all that he saw was Astrid's retreating back. She stormed through the doors of her house and slammed them shut.

He sighed. "Oh, why do the gods hate me?"

* * *

There was a knock at the door.

Hiccup waited for the sound of his father's footsteps, but then realized that _Of course he's not _home,_ is he, you dumbass?_ and jogged downstairs to answer it.

He opened the door and almost jumped a foot in the air. Astrid stood there, staring at her hands and blushing a deep red.

"Uh, Astrid? Hi..."

"Hey Hiccup. I...I'm sorry."

His eyes widened. "For what? Being totally awesome at ever - " _Shut up, Hiccup!_ He bit his knuckle to stop himself.

She gave a small laugh. "Uh, no. I just...the whole 'punching you' thing was uncalled for. I'm sorry." She had lifted her eyes and was now giving him a sorrowful look.

"Uh, well, it's no problem. I get it all the time..."

She giggled again. "Well, I just want to ask if I could, you know, _learn_ a few of those tricks?" A few bats of her long lashes.

"Oh, sorry, Astrid, I can't exactly _teach_ that - "

She stopped the door with a strong outstretched arm as he attempted to close it. "Come on, Hiccup, just a few?" She was moving closer.

"No, I definitely - "

Her scowl sent shivers down his spine. It was ridiculous how much she affected him. "Please, Hiccup?"

"Astrid, I - "

She pounded the outside wall with an angry fist. "Fine." Astrid turned to leave, but he caught her by the arm. "Astrid, please don't be angry..."

"How can't I be?" She snapped. "With a father like _mine,_ it's impossible to be good enough! I just wanted to _win,_ dammit! And now I can't even do that! What is it you do, _charm_ them? Put them to _sleep?_ Come on, that's not fighting! That's bullsh - "

"_Astrid!_" He cried, interrupting her tirade. She glared at him with fiery eyes. "Look, I know what it feels like to never be enough, alright?" He was growing irritated; surely _she_ would know that? "Do you think _my_ father's ever proud of me?"

"Well, _he should be now!_ You've just taken away everything I've worked for! Are you happy?"

"No! Not particularly!" He yelled.

_"Good!"_

_ "Fine!"_ He slammed the door and stormed back up to his bedroom.

* * *

Astrid stood outside for a few more minutes, just staring at the ground with folded arms. _This is ridiculous, you are _not_ going to knock again! No, you don't have anything in common besides age. No, you don't admire his spirit or whatever shit you're telling yourself. No, you are _not going to knock again._ Now just go and work on your...oh, by the gods, just work on something!_

She sighed and turned away to go home, knowing in the back of her mind that she liked this boy more than she truthfully told herself.

_**Well, I was just **_**saying _what we were all _thinking. _No? Yeah, no..._  
**


	4. The Art Of Your Secrets

_**Yeah, I'm not quite sure how much the name has to do with it, but it sounded totally awesome.**_

_**Here you go, your daily dose of teenage swearing and angst. Have fun, kiddies!**_

"_Ow,_ what the – _you dick!_" Tuffnut pushed Snotlout into the wall.

"Hey, _asshole,_ watch where the hell you're goin'!" The dark-haired boy yelled, shoving the blonde one to the floor of the dining hall.

"I'll _show_ you where the hell _you're_ going!" Tuffnut kicked his legs out from under him.

Tuffnut and Snotlout had started another fight. Hiccup wasn't exactly interested, and today was no exception. He got his food and sat down at an empty table.

He didn't care if he was popular or well-liked, _he wanted his solitude._ And about two weeks after the Battle of the Queen of Dragons people had caught on. Well, most of them...Fishlegs, Snotlout and Tuffnut, on the other hand, had not gotten the hints.

So he sat at an abandoned table, slowly working through the food and glancing at the benches that the women had claimed. Sure, anyone else would have looked them all over, but Hiccup only had eyes for Astrid, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. But_ beauty_ was an understatement. She was gorgeous, and each movement she made was just further proof. And _of course_ blue-eyed blondes were frequent enough, but Astrid was a different story. Ferocity, independence, strength, and intelligence were what set her apart, and were what made her stand out amongst the other girls. It was normal to see Hiccup glancing over his shoulder ten times every hour at her.

Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs sat down across from Hiccup. "...and it doesn't matter _how_ you approach her, she just _won't_ go for anyone!"

Hiccup gave Snotlout a funny look. "Oh, hey," The dark-haired teenager said offhandedly. "We were just talking about Astrid.

"Of course you were," Hiccup said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I complimented her on the way she handled a dragon, and she slapped me!" Tuffnut exclaimed, pounding the table with a fist. "I mean, come on, what does a guy have to do?"

"Why do you guys care so much?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it's just that - "

"Hey Hiccup," Someone said from behind him. All of the boys at the table looked at the beautiful blonde girl standing behind Hiccup, a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, hey Astrid, we were just talking about your flying prowess!" Snotlout said, pushing Tuffnut away when he tried to punch him.

Astrid gave him a nasty look and turned back to Hiccup. "So, meet me out back in half an hour? I need, uh, help with my riding equipment."

Hiccup smiled and nodded. "Awesome," She said with a grin, messing up his chestnut hair and gliding out through the double doors. It was a favorite pastime of his to watch her walk; it was almost shameful how much he liked it..._and her._

Snotlout looked furious, Tuffnut shocked, Fishlegs...just looked like his regular awe-struck self.

"No. Way." Snotlout finally said.

"That was ridiculous," Tuffnut muttered. Fishlegs still sat in awe.

It didn't matter that she had given Hiccup the talk-of-the-town kiss (they figured it was just her thanks); Astrid had never been told of as his 'girl.' But, of course, _he_ knew. It was just a matter of how much they let out to the public. In fact, now that he thought about it, the town should have much more rumors about them than the current number, which happened to be none.

A half hour passed and he walked outside, stretching and blinking in the sun. He closed his eyes to rub them and someone grabbed him from behind. They caught his wrists and pulled him around the building, which only turned out to be about five paces, until they were out of view of the village.

"Okay, uh, ow?"

"Sorry," Someone whispered in his ear.

"Oh, gods, Astrid, why did you do that?" He hissed, attempting to turn and glare at her.

She giggled and danced out of view. "Come on, Hiccup, I'm just playin' around!"

He sighed audibly. "Get over – what the hell – _Astrid!_" He said loudly as she went a little far and wrenched his arms around behind him painfully.

She gasped and let him go, holding her hands up in surrender. "Sorry," She whispered again. There was still the ghost of a smile on her face.

He rolled his eyes and rubbed his wrists. "Well, anyway, what are we – what are _you_ doing?"

She brushed a loose lock of chestnut hair away from his face and leaned in for a long, slow kiss.

He couldn't really do much else; he just wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in tantalizingly close. She giggled into his lips and wound hers around his neck. He loved it when they got away from society for just a few breathtaking moments; Astrid was good with that. Her blonde hair brushed against his cheek in a delicate way that reminded him somewhat of a flower or a wistful leaf. Yeah, _this_ was how it was supposed to be.

"So," Hiccup breathed when she had finally dialed it down, "What about that equipment?"

"Hah!" She said gleefully, "That was a total lie."

"What? Well, then, why did you - "

"Shh!" She pressed a slender finger to his lips. "That's not important."

"Oh yeah?" He said with a smirk. "Well, I know what is."

"And what is that?"

_ He winked and leaned her backwards for another infinitely wonderful kiss._

_**I daydream too much. I think I need a job...**  
_


	5. Everything She Wants

_**Alright, so I like to answer my own questions, and yes, I understand why Astrid was so angry in the forest the day she meets Hiccup, blah blah blah. But **_**I _wanted to give her another reason to want to beat the sh*t out of Hiccup. I love 'em both, but it needs to happen once in a while._**

**_So, read, review, whatever you like. This one isn't exactly engaging, but read it anyway. Yeah yeah yeah...this was named after a Vertical Horizon song. "Everything You Want," go check it out.  
_**

"That's not fighting!" Astrid sighed, shaking her head angrily.

"No, but it _works!_" Ruffnut pounded the table with a fist.

"Yeah, and he gets the job done!" _Why does Snotlout have to hang on my every word, agreeable or otherwise?_

"But that _doesn't_ mean he should place first in dragon training! It's not ferocity or good clean fighting, it's tricks and fancy - "

They all fell silent as Hiccup himself sat at the next table. It took the span of two seconds for every teen save one to swarm him excitedly. Astrid sighed in irritation, slamed her mug down loudly on the wooden table, and put her head down to hide her flushing face.

After lunch the teens left the dining hall to listen to another lecture from Gobber. Astrid was lagging behind the group, using the silence to think through a few confusing feelings.

_So, he thinks he can simply _prance in_ and take away _my_ title. Well, I'm _not_ going to let that happen, and next time I see the little...boy, alone, I'll be sure to-_

"Uh, I left my axe in the ring, I'm gonna go get that..." Hiccup had turned to go back into the arena they had left behind and inevitably had run into Astrid. She gasped loudly and jumped out of his way, as though he were threatening her with a deadly weapon.

"Oh, sorry..." He apologized meekly and ran off to the arena.

Astrid scowled and continued on, through the group that had stopped before her. No one dared perturb her; they knew better than to mess with the closest thing to a Valkyrie in Berk.

* * *

She stormed off to a secluded clearing an hour later to sort out her clouded thoughts.

_I know better than this! I'm a Viking, dammit! I don't let people like _that_ excel past me in dragon training. I need to work on these things!_

She swung her axe into the nearest unfortunate tree. It lodged itself in with a satisfying _thud_ and she yanked it out with ease. The best way of forgetting was to _work,_ always _work._ She hoisted it above her head yet again and tossed it swiftly into another trunk. On and on she did this, always perfecting the height at which it entered the tree and the speed with which it flew, until her arms screamed beneath the axe and her movements came to her like breathing. That was when Hiccup arrived.

He was looking around nervously, with strange parcels beneath his arms. He hadn't noticed her until she slipped and cracked a noisy twig. He whipped his head around, messing with his chestnut hair and her confused heartstrings.

He stared at her in shock. She wondered at his gaze...until she remembered that her hair had been lost from it's usual plait and she was drenched in sweat. _I must be a sight..._

Hiccup turned slowly on his heel and walked quickly out of sight. Astrid followed his trail through the trees quietly and found him sitting by a rock, examining some of his items. A few moments later and she was upon him.

"Wha – Oh, Astrid, uhh...what are you doing here?" _I'll admit, he regains his composure very quickly..._

"I want to know what's going on," She hissed. "You took away my title, my friends...my _dignity!_"

"Look, Astrid, no one understands what that feels like more than I do - "

She slapped him across the face. The bruises her father had inflicted upon her were still sore, especially after her fit of fury in the ring that he had deemed _shameful._ _How dare he say that! As if he has it hard enough!_

He had risen to his feet, propelled by a satisfying amount of shock and anger. "Alright, Astrid, I deserved that one, but - "

"Hiccup, don't you _dare_ - "

" - _I'm sorry about your father!_" He finally shouted.

Astrid had _never_ heard him raise his voice beyond his usual stutter. It silenced her and she stood there in shock, trying to think of anything to say.

"You...you're _sorry?_" She finally managed.

"Yeah...well, I know you have it pretty hard, what with your dad hurting you like that," He said quietly, gesturing to a rather dark bruise on her right arm.

She slowly nodded. "But...but no one knows about that. How did you figure that out?"

He shrugged. "It was pretty easy to figure out, I mean...your father, when we're in the ring, always has this scowl on his face, he's always watching you, and the next day I notice you have cuts or bruises that weren't from...dragon training..." He trailed off, looking deep into her wide, unrealistically blue eyes. Then he faltered at _that_ and just simply looked at his feet.

She shook her head. "I've underestimated you. I'm sorry." His head shot up at her apology, again messing up his hair to her deep and guilty amusement.

He shrugged once more. "Really, it...I just don't think that a man should treat his daughter like...well, especially when she's so _talented_ and beauti - " He cut himself off and looked at the ground, blushing a deep crimson.

Astrid sighed and sat down on the boulder, which reached about knee high, and patted the rock next to her. Reluctantly, he sat down too.

"So," She began softly, "What are all those packages about?"

"Uh, nothing, just...you know, another one of my _contraptions..._"

She nodded and decided to leave the subject where it was. It wasn't necessarily a fun topic to hear Hiccup talk about for _ages._

"You are _ridiculous,_ Hiccup Haddock. I've never heard of anyone like you. You're intelligent, intuitive, cu – ah, ahem, you're, uh..." She stuttered after she let her darkest secret slip. _Great, Astrid, just _fucking_ great. Just close your mouth and _keep. It. _Shut._

Hiccup looked at her closely, as though examining her soul through her eyes. She couldn't help but notice the gorgeous flecks of gold in his vivid green eyes that could only be seen when the sun hit _just like that_...

"Thanks, Astrid. That means a lot coming from...well, _you._"

She stared at the ground, trying to hide a slowly dawning smile. _He has a way with words...yet he's a man of so few words..._ She softly set one hand down beside her and produced an unseen spark as it touched Hiccup's. They both gasped and Astrid recoiled.

"Woah," Was all she could breath.

"Uh, yeah, _what was that?_" He asked incredulously. His green eyes were wide with surprise, but they were nothing compared to the painful battle within Astrid.

_Dammit Astrid, you've gone soft! You're a Viking, for Thor's sake, act like one! And have you forgotten who this is? You're ridiculous, and it needs to stop before you end up placing _last.

"I have to go," She suddenly said, her eyes brimming with involuntary tears. Hiccup jumped up quickly and looked as though she had slapped him again.

Just as she was turning to leave Hiccup yelled "No!" and grabbed her hand. She whipped around, her loose blonde hair tumbling around her shoulders.

"No, Astrid, please, I'm sorry if I did anything..."

She shook her head quickly and picked up her axe from the sunpatched ground. It only took a little jerk of her hand and she was free, running away from everything she truly wanted.

_**Bah, barely any fluff, no action, lots of angst...sorry guys, but this is turning into a Twilight novel. Whomever I offend...too bad. It needed to be said.**_


	6. Solutions

_**Okay, so I haven't updated in a few days. And I will tell you why once I come up with a suitable excuse.**_

_**Anyway, this is what I have come up with. The rest of the one-shots I have are either ridiculous, dangerously close to smut, or just downright stupid. It's short, yes, but read it anyway. Maybe I'll come out of this slump soon.**_

_**Oh, by the way, for any of you who have read my story **_**How To Train Your Lover_, I'm working on a sequel. Let's all pray that I don't lose it anytime soon. While you're waiting, enjoy this ridiculous one-shot I'm calling "Solutions." I like to think the actual solution is in the very last sentence, but hey, it's what you make of it. And if you're done with this one, read _How To Train Your Lover_, for those who haven't. Please? *puts on best Toothless pout face*_****  
**

There was still a bruise on his left arm from where Astrid had punched him last night. He was sure there was a bruise on his chest from where she had dropped the butt of her axe on him in anger. There _must_ be at least five down his legs from falling off of Toothless repeatedly.

But none had hurt so hard as the bruise on his right arm from where he had hit the cold stone floor of his house. He had gone inside before his father, attempting to explain, and had instead been thrown to the floor. Stoik had never truly appreciated or respected him...but he never harmed him. One _never_ harmed their family members, which is also why he felt so bad for Astrid and the beatings _her_ father gave her.

Now, he sat on the wooden oversight that looked out upon the port, watching the Viking army as they readied the ships and took his best friend with them. He just sat. Numbness overtook him and gave him temporary relief from the aching all over. It wasn't a cold numbness, it wasn't a dying numbness, it was just...nothing.

_This is terrible...everything is so messed up! Why couldn't I just kill a damn dragon? I...no, that's not the way to go. By the gods, why didn't I just stay in the shop like Gobber had told me? Why did I even _make_ that ridiculous contraption? Oh, wonderful job Hiccup! You've gone and gotten yourself disowned _and_ you just killed your best friend! Dammit!_

He sighed and leaned back against the rocks behind the boardwalk, running a hand through his messy chestnut hair. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to _kill._

_No, no Hiccup, you're turning into one of them. Stop that. Now._

He squared his jaw and kept himself composed. The _last_ thing he would do is take this out on his father. No matter how much he had wanted to be a true Viking, he knew that if it meant stooping to someone like Snotlout or Stoic's level, he wouldn't do it. Which is why he now detested the idea of becoming a common Viking.

He buried his face in his hands, groaning loudly. His whole life was spent waiting for his chance to _do something._ Now, he just wished he hadn't ever done _anything._

Destiny had crossed his mind before, but he dismissed any and all thoughts. Destiny is ridiculous, he would tell himself. _I make of life what I will._ He had always thought that destiny was just make-believe, used to spice up stories, but it never ruled one's life. One ruled one's own life. Which is why he didn't think of this as destiny; he thought of it as a problem left hanging without a solution. And the solution definitely had nothing to do with blame at this point.

_I will not pin this on anyone else. It was _my_ fault, _I_ started this...and I'm going to end it._

Then Astrid showed up.

_**Yeah, it's short, depressing...shut up.**_


	7. To Change A Life In Thirty Seconds

_**Another very short one-shot. I figured if I gave you two short ones it would might be the equivalent of one regular one? No? That's cool too.**_

_**Sorry, this one was...spur-of-the-moment. It had to get out of my head before I went homicidal, so...  
**_

Astrid looked behind her. She looked at the Vikings, the men and few women of the army, all of them. She studied their faces. Some were bruised, some had cuts or gashes. But, she saw in them their restored hope, their faith. It was amazing the change that had gone through them. But they weren't the only ones to be transformed.

She let memories and feelings flow through her, ones that she had repressed, ones that she was ashamed of...her hurtful words towards Hiccup, her new savior. The beatings from her father that she had never been truly strong enough to let go of. The shameful want she had for a man, someone to break down the barriers she had created, someone who was strong enough to endure her. And lastly, the horrible lack of trust she had for anyone. It all crashed down on her as though a dragon had just barreled through her. She realized everything she had truly done wrong, everything she had and had never said, everything that she had ignored.

But she knew now what to do. She fought the pain. She had a weapon against it now. She fought it with all she had, letting everything boil over. She fell to her knees, the rocks cold and cruel, but she didn't care. As a formerly broken girl, nothing mattered except her weapon. And her weapon could very well die in the next few moments.

It took all she had to look before her. To watch the one person who had freed her go and risk his life to save hers, and everyone else's. But she had to face forward. She had spent too much time repressing the past and fearing the future, confined in the little seconds between the two. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She was overwhelmed, and she really didn't know what to do about it. So, she did the one thing she knew how to do.

She fought. She let the barriers fall. Her eyes closed and she let the falling rain wash away the regrets and the pain. Everything she had thought had made her stronger, the beatings and abuse, the ferocity that hid her inner pain, the harshness, were now gone. Her blue eyes opened wide as she discovered that she had won her own battle.

Now, she looked up, and was amazed with what she realized.

The one person she had never deemed good enough had now humbled her in an instant. And that felt really, _really_ good.

_**Yeah, that...I really don't know where that came from. I almost cried writing this. I'm getting really pathetic, I know, but it sounded really cool in my head...**_

_**Anyway, review and tell me - no, **_**threaten_ me - to write something that's _actually romantic._ Trust me, if you do, it might actually happen._****  
**


	8. What Happens Around The Fire

_**Boredom. That's all I'm gonna say.**_

Hiccup sat alone. Again. At the feast. Well, not _alone,_ persay, but it definitely felt like it.

The people around him just laughed and ate and drank and talked...but he didn't necessarily want a part of it tonight. Part of the reason was because his leg was _killing_ him (though he couldn't leave because of his "status"), and the other part was because the people he _really_ wanted to talk to had left. Ruffnut and Tuffnut had gone to make mischief...Fishlegs never thought the feasts were his "thing" (_antisocial_ came to mind)...even Snotlout. But most of all, he just wanted a chance to talk to Astrid. She always knew what to say, whether she actually _knew_ that or not.

So he sat, trying to stay invisible, and finally decided that he would leave. _Screw_ whatever his duties were as the future chief, he was damn tired. So, he slipped out a few moments later when the men – and a few women – were drunk enough not to notice.

The cool night air calmed him as he finally made it through the doors. The small group of teens (who fortunately – and sometimes unfortunately – never separated) were sitting a little ways off around a small fire. They had obviously gotten into the stores of mead, probably the twins doing, and were joking around with over-exaggerated motions.

"...and then Fishlegs over here – oh, hey Haddock!" Ruffnut stood up, swayed, and pulled him towards the circle. "Come on, sweety, have a seat!" She slurred in his ear. He could see Astrid's sapphire eyes glinting in the firelight, and they didn't exactly look too happy with Ruffnut.

Hiccup pushed her off and let her fall back into her spot. "I'm good..." He walked around until he found that Astrid had made a spot for him. Naturally, he sat down too.

"Hey Hiccup," Astrid whispered in his ear. "Too crowded in there for you?"

He sighed audibly. "No, of course not. I'm too _masculine_ for something as ridiculous as 'personal space'," He said, waving air quotes around the last words. Astrid smiled and grasped his hand, interlocking her fingers with his.

"Hey, Haddock," Tuffnut said, looking across the fire curiously. "You two have been together for what, three months now?"

"Mmhmm," Hiccup said with a proud nod, giving Astrid's hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Well," Ruffnut said with a devious smile. "I haven't seen you locking lips _once._ So how are we supposed to _believe _you?"

"Come one, Ruff, leave 'em alone." Snotlout didn't look too excited about where the conversation was going.

"Uh-uh," She shook her head. "Not until I see this happy couple macking at it."

"What? That doesn't even make sense..." Hiccup tried to put the sentence right in his mind. He noted with annoyance the look of expectancy crossing Fishlegs face.

"Uh, dude, _drunk,_" Tuffnut said, gesturing at his intoxicated twin. Hiccup shrugged and nodded.

"Ugh, come _on!_ I wanna see some _action!_"

"It's funny, Ruff," Astrid said airily. "You sound the same whether you're drunk or your normal semi-inebriated. What's with that?" Hiccup sighed gratefully at her somewhat tactful change in topic. Her talent with language was quite the weapon sometimes.

"Oh, shut up and _kiss 'im!_" She said, pointing a half-full mug at them and sloshing some into the fire in the process.

Astrid sighed impatiently. "Must we? I don't think that this will prove any - "

"Oh, don't act like you don't want to!" Ruffnut slurred. "I can tell this boy really does it for yah!"

"Ugh, that's really more suggestive than the situation calls for." No matter how relieved he might be that Astrid was deflecting Ruffnut's advances, he couldn't help but feel slightly put off. She did _want_ to, did she not?

"Fine," Ruffnut said. Hiccup could hear a hidden meaning behind her words.

"Thank you-" Astrid said, but was cut off by Ruffnut standing up unsteadily, walking around the fire, and pulling Hiccup up by the collar.

"Then I will!" She said proudly. Her vice-like grip was pulling him in for, _oh Hel,_ a long, messy kiss -

Ruffnut disappeared in a split second. Hiccup looked around and jumped back as he saw Astrid wrestling with his attacker. She had her pinned in a second and was firing off a round of dirty insults that would offend anyone faint of heart within a three mile radius. Even Snotlout was cringing at her choice of words.

"...and your mother must have been - "

"Ooooo-kay!" Hiccup said loudly, ending Astrid's merciless tirade. "I think we oughta - "

"I'm not done yet!" She said angrily, standing up and brushing her blonde bangs out of her eyes. Ruffnut stood up and backed away from the fuming Viking girl.

"Well, I just figured - "

"Oh, just shut up and _kiss me_, you handsome fool!" Astrid clutched his collar and pulled him in, meeting his lips in a surprisingly tender embrace. It was an amazing kiss, and soon enough her arms were wrapped around his neck and his were pulling her closer by the waist. Ruffnut could be heard clapping, Tuffnut was snickering, and Fishlegs just gasped at the sight.

"Now _that's_ entertainment!" Ruffnut said grandly.

"No, you're just _creepy,_" Snotlout said with poorly disguised disgust. They still hadn't separated, and within a minute Snotlout had left.

"Okay, that's good," Tuffnut said nervously.

"You just don't know how to enjoy life's little moments," Ruffnut sighed in mock irritation.

Hiccup surfaced, but still held her close with one arm. "Hey, this isn't a free performance, kiddies," He said, pointing at the three still left.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes. "Fiiiiiiine."

Tuffnut shook his head and pushed her towards home. "I'm gonna douse the fire, you two...don't start gettin' at it right here."

It was Hiccup's turn to roll his eyes. "Fine, _mom._" With that, he turned them both towards Astrid's house. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

Astrid smiled kindly and yawned. "Sure thing, Haddock."

_**Maybe this is a little too adult? Oh well, it sounded like fun anyway. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do. :D**_


End file.
